I Never Told You What I Do For a Living
by amianfan102
Summary: Amy Trent is a trained assassin about to finish her last mission from her Boss - Vikram Cahill. Little does she know, her entire world is going to be flipped upside-down when she meets the suave Ian Kabra, AKA her next assignment. But in a world where happy endings don't always exist coupled with Amy's job, there's no possibility for a happy ending. Or is there? COMPELTELY AU!
1. Chapter 1

**I Never Told You What I Do For a Living**

Amy Trent wiped the crimson liquid off the knife, watching as it bled into the white of the sheet. Like a spider-web, it reached in all directions, branching off as miniscule rivulets rolled their path down the silky material. "So beautiful," she whispered, caressing the man's face. "Too bad you were on the list."

She stood up and slipped on her tight leather jacket, feeling the familiar weight settle comfortably on her shoulders. Treading lightly, she picked the sheet up off the bed and wadded it into a ball, throwing it in a black trash bag. No need for anything she had touched to stay at the scene of death.

Amy carefully pulled on a pair of worn leather gloves, a brown pair unlike her jacket. The closet door creaked as she pulled out a new cover for the bed, arranging the man's limbs in a mummy-like position, hands crossed over his chest. With a delicate smile, she leaned over and removed a photograph from inside his pocket. Vikram had said that her next target would be found in this man's pocket. Sergio Alcatraz.

_"Nothing like a small challenge to keep your skills on edge," _he had purred over their last phone call.

Amy smirked. Too true was that statement; she felt as alive as she always did after an assignment. She grabbed her black boots from the mud-room of the mansion on her way out, walking into the driveway in just her tights. The gravel scratched the soles of her feet as she strutted out to her car.

With one last salute to the house, Amy pulled off the blonde wig she had worn and scoffed as she tossed it into the back seat of the red Mustang. It was time to get out of the ridiculous outfit she was wearing and back into some real clothes. She tried not to scoff in disgust as she ripped off her tiny skirt and tights right there in front of the house and pulled on a pair of tight black skinny jeans.

Shedding her too-tight pink blouse, she traded that for a looser silvery tank top and slid into her black boots. Ah, it was nice to be back. As she pulled out of the driveway and ruffled her auburn hair, Amy briefly wondered what this unfortunate soul had done to piss off Vikram.

Alas, it was too late. Not that it mattered - Sergio Alcatraz was dead and gone. She assumed that the police would discover the body in about five hours or so when he wouldn't show up to work.

Amy grinned down at the suitcase on the passenger's seat. As she came to a stop at a red light in the center of town, she opened it up. Inside were stacks upon stacks of hundred-dollar bills. What a wonderful arrangement she and Vikram had; she killed off people who had wronged him while she got to keep whatever she wanted from the person.

"I wonder what Dan would say if he could see me now..." Amy pondered, thinking of her younger brother. She hadn't seem him in years, not since her trip to England.

He'd probably try to call the police. And yell at her for becoming what she was.

Amy giggled lightly to herself. Dan would eat those words if he ever felt the rush of being a trained assassin, as deadly as those childish ninjas he always used to speak of. She sighed contentedly, turning up the music in the car.

"_Another knife in my hands, a stain that never comes off the sheets, clean me off, I'm so dirty babe!" _she sang along with the song, thinking of the row of blades she had stashed in her bag.

Amy pulled into the parking lot of a fancy restaurant and parked right outside the doors. She clicked off the car and pulled out her purse, a small maroon over the shoulder bag. A stack of ten hundred-dollar bills followed her lip stick and mascara into the bag. After that she pulled her hair into a low pony-tail and situated a red wig on her head until it looked natural.

"Reservation for Wizard," she told the waited who nodded.

"Right this way, Miss." He led her to the back of the dimly lit restaurant, the smell of expensive food and perfume wafting into Amy's nose.

A room at the back had been saved for the man who Amy was meeting there. They had a deal, and Amy sure as hell wasn't going to let some amateur forger ruin her being under cover with a chance of someone over hearing them.

The room was small and private, a thick wooden door seperating them from the rest of the world. There was very little light, just small fairy lights glittering along the purple velvet wall.

"You're late," Jonah Wizard chuckled, taking a sip of bubbling champagne.

Amy smiled charmingly and replied, "You're simply early. I had some stuff to take care of." She took a seat in the gold plated chair and looked over the food selection.

Jonah leaned forward, an amused expression on his face. "May I ask what kind of stuff, Doll?"

"Don't Doll me." Suddenly, Jonah Wizard found himself with the barrel of a gun lined up to his face.

He moved backward slowly, his arms raised in a gesture of apology. "Sorry, miss. That's just what I've heard your nickname is around here. Doll."

"Oh," Amy said, lowering the gun. "I suppose so, yes. And for your information, if I told you what I was doing, I'd have to kill you."

"I don't doubt that, Doll," Jonah replied. "Not for a second."

Amy frowned and took a bite of the cavier in front of her. "Not bad. So where's what I asked for?"

Jonah bent over and grabbed a small bag from the ground. He shook the contents out. "Here you are."

A passport, an ID, and a credit card tumbled onto the table. Amy picked them up greedily, looking each piece over carefully.

"These are very good," she admitted. "You even got the blue eyes right."

Jonah crossed his arms. "I told you, I'm the best money can buy! Speaking of which... Where is it?"

"Tut tut tut, is that any way to act around a lady?" Amy taunted, pulling out the money from inside her purse. "But here it is."

Jonah grabbed the wad of cash and flicked through it. "I'm counting a thousand. I asked for two." He leaned forward. "Do you know how difficult it is to do this stuff? It ain't easy, that's for sure."

Amy stood up with the exchanged pieces of forgery in her bag. "Take the thousand, or you'll be the next sucker on my list. My employer is very easy-going when it comes to my free-lance activities."

A flash of recognition swept across Jonah's face as he nodded. "Got it, Doll. Thanks for the cash."

"My pleasure," Amy sneered, picking up her champagne glass and downing it in one swig. "And remember, if anyone finds out about this, you'll wish that you were never born."

On that last note, she turned on her heel and walked out of the room, feeling victorious. Next stop: a payphone to call her Boss.

**~lovelovelove~**

Vikram was a man of few words. He spoke to Amy only when needed, and even then, it was usually in as few words as physically possible. Amy didn't mind in the least - communicating with less words than others showed a higher sign of intelligence in her opinion. And she didn't mind silence either. Though she avidly listened to music, quiet was always a nice break.

Amy stepped out of the car and grinned. It was a perfect day out, and speaking to Vikram would only help her boost her ego. One target succesfully bumped off, a mound of cash in her car, new ID's and passports, and now a word from her Boss.

Quickly, she dialed the number into the payphone, rolling her eyes as the over-sees operator asked her who she wanted to speak with.

"Jason Latoya," she repsonded, using Vikram's alias.

There was a pause before Vikram's voice said, "Hello, my panther."

Amy grinned. "Nice to hear from you, Boss. I got rid of the last target and I have the photograph. Is it alright to look at it?"

"Yes. Did you get what you needed?" he asked.

"Of course, Mr. Wizard was very...generous," Amy purred. "Is there anything I should know about this next target?"

There was a full few seconds of hesitation, which shocked Amy to the very core. One of Vikram's mottos when training her had been, "Never hesitate. A man who hesitates is a dead one, in both words and actions. Remember that, my panther."

But then he said, "No. Just remember that you're a daughter to me."

Amy felt her heart swell with pride. Finally, the words she'd been hoping to hear! Her father had betrayed she and the rest of her family, resulting in her mother's death. At the age of sixteen she had learned that he had been sent on an assassination mission that targeted her mother. Eventually, with the added pressure of whoever his Boss was, Arthur Trent had snapped and killed his wife, nearly killing Dan and Amy.

When Amy had hit the age of seventeen, she had bought a ticket to England, abandoning her younger brother, au pair, and the devastating death of her grandmother, Grace. While she was there, shopping in a small book store, Amy had literally run into a man who called himself Vikram Cahill. They talked for a little while and then offered her a job as his personal assisstant.

Three months after working as his assisstant in a cooperation that dealth with international shipping, Vikram had offered to start training her in martial arts and defensive strategies. By the year's end, she had been trained with deadly precision, a finely tuned instrument built to kill.

"Thank you, Boss, that means the world to me," Amy choked out, feeling tears spring to her eyes.

"You're welcome, panther. Now go and complete your mission." Without another word, the phone beeped in good-bye.

Amy hung up the phone and grinned before turning around and laughing. She was free after this mission. This was the last one on the list. Finally, after years of work! Vikram had promised her ten million dollars in reward for doing this, and as soon as this last idiot was off the face of the planet, she was free to go.

Free.

The word sounded strange on her lips as she sang it into the empty car. "Free!" she trilled, giggling. "With ten million dollars..."

Suddenly, the world seemed open to new possibilities. A thousand doors were opened to her and all it had cost was some spilt blood and a whole lot of adrenaline. Amy sat in her car and pulled the picture out of her purse, folding it open carefully.

It was a picture of a very attractive man with jet black hair, smirking at the camera. He was tall and well-built, his eyes shining amber in a way that Amy had only seen on super-models. He looked to be about Amy's age and was wearing expensive clothing, his arm slung around someone else's shoulders. The picture had been ripped down the middle so she couldn't see who it was, but it was enough for her.

She turned it around. On the back in Vikram's elegant script were the words, _Ian Kabra. Good Luck, My Panther._

**SO, here's this! I'm gonna continue it if I get good reviews for it! I KNOW Amy is INCREDIBLY OOC and such, but it's AU and it gets better with time.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the 39 Clues or MCR's song in the middle there. Oh, and the image is courtesy of Google images. XD **

**Thanks a bunch!**

**~Dani :) **


	2. Chapter 2

**I Never Told You What I Do For a Living**

**Chapter Two**

Ian Kabra stared at the scene in front of him, unthinkingly. He and his squad of agents had been called down to the scene of a murder to investigate and compile a profile of traits about the murderer. As soon as he had laid eyes on the body he knew who the killer was, no questions asked.

Doll was back again.

"Sir, it's her, isn't it?" Ian's co-worker Dan Trent asked sullenly, looking at the body with wide eyes. "She's back in Philadelphia, isn't she?"

With a sigh, Ian nodded. "I've been tracking her movements all over the world. It's the same signature each time - a trash bag with a bloody sheet and the victim in that position. I'm not sure if she's doing it on purpose, or if she's genuinely a neat freak."

Dan shook his head, eyes tired. "I feel like I've seen so much I shouldn't have. I'm only twenty-five, Ian, and this is what I do for a living. Don't you ever get tired of it?"

"Don't wimp out on me now, Trent, we need your brains here!" Ian whirled around to face Dan. "Sure, I'm tired of flying out from DC to see ravaged body after body, the needless spilling of blood in nearly every city. But don't you realize? It's all worth it! We're getting rid of evil, twisted, mentally diseased people."

There was a tight silence before Dan nodded. "I know. It's why I do what I do." Then, he grinned slyly. "And, our team would be a mess if it wasn't for me. My memory has saved our backsides multiple times."

"Kabra, Trent!" their fellow FBI agent Hamilton Holt called. "What's the deal?"

Dan and Ian exchanged dark looks. "It's Doll, Holt. Doll's back here."

Hamilton sucked in a breath and shook his head. "Are we gonna fly all over the place to catch her, or let it sit again? We're going to need to call the Nationals in, Kabra! We cannot do that to ourselves... We'd be the laughing-stock of the FBI!"

Ian cursed. Hamilton was right. Doll had managed to escape their grasp for the past nine years. Nine years of brutal killing, and there were no leads. All they had come up with was her profile: a woman, between the ages of twenty and thirty-five, with a sadistic obsession with knives. Guns were never used in her murders, only knives, which were most definitely the mark of a sadist. She wasn't a sexual sadist though, so it had been hard to pin-point the reason for the murders.

Then, it had hit them all like a slap to the face.

International killings, all extremely sadistic, theft from the household... This woman was an assassin for some rich guy with too many grudges. With this new-found information, they had relayed the information to the bureau that dealt with international crimes. However, they had put the case on hold more than once due to an idiotic train of thought: an assassin would eventually stop killing, because their employer would stop providing them with people to murder.

Ian and the rest of the team knew differently though. Once the list of targets stopped, the killing would continue. Murder was like a drug to these sadists, and once they started, it was nearly impossible to stop.

"Okay, Hamilton, call Ned and tell him to keep a look out for _any _murders that come up within the next few days or hours that have the same style of killing - stabbed to death," Ian explained, thinking the plan out. "We're gonna take this case into our own hands."

Dan and Hamilton nodded excitedly.

Ian smiled and looked over to a tall, thin man with auburn hair. "Ted!"

Ted Starling looked over and smiled sadly, his thick glasses sliding off his nose. He bade the officer he was speaking to a good-bye and walked over. "Yeah, Kabra?"

"I need you to start looking over the map of Doll's murders to see if there's any sort of pattern to them." At Ted's horrified look Ian nodded. "Yeah, she's back again. It's a shock to see her here again, but she's definitely back."

"I'll get on that as soon as we get back to base," Ted confirmed, turning on his cell phone. "Jeez, Ned is going to be in for a ton of work."

**~lovelovelove~**

Stretching, Ian walked out of the police office and down the street to the hotel he was staying at. It was nearing nine at night and the team still wasn't any farther along with the case, much to Ian's chagrin. The day had been long and taxing and all he wanted to do was take a hot shower and go to bed, maybe after grabbing a bite to eat.

The moon hung teasingly over the city streets as he began fumbling with his tie - the thing had been driving him insane all day. He cheered internally as he took a step off the side-walk and into the parking lot of the hotel. Ah, not quite home but nearly as -

_BEEEEEEEEEEP_!

Ian yelled in shock and threw his hands up in defense at the bright light and noise that were racing towards him at an insanely fast speed. _Well, it's been a good life, _he thought dramatically, shutting his eyes and clenching his teeth.

But the impact never came, just the squeal of tires on gravel and a slam of a door.

"Oh hell, sir, I'm so sorry!" said the woman who was struggling to get out of the car, since it had swerved and was now up against the sidewalk at an odd angle. "I swear, I didn't mean to come that close! Are you okay!?"

Ian, now shaking profusely, got up the stamina to walk to the other side of the car and open the door properly. "I'm fine, no thanks to you."

The woman, who looked to be Ian's age, looked at him in shock. A flash of recognition flashed across her face before morphing back to shame. "I'm honestly sorry, I just got distracted for a moment by that fricking light over there." She pointed at a stop light which was blaring its colors obnoxiously.

Ian took a moment to step back and look at the situation in perspective. The woman was startlingly pretty, with big doe-like blue eyes and bright red hair that reminded him of a cherry - the kind of red you see on fire engines and ripe apples. She was dressed in fancier clothes, presumably from work. "It's okay, I promise. Look, how's this for an exchange."

The woman leaned forward across the hood of the car and smiled. "I'm all ears."

"Tell me your name and we can go get a drink in the hotel cafe, since I'm assuming you're staying here," Ian proposed, smiling charmingly like he practiced.

There was no hesitation, just an expression of joy on her face when she replied, "Let me park my car and I'll be on my way in. Name's Lauren Jacobs, pretty boy, what's yours?"

Ian grinned and hopped into the passenger seat of the scary clean Mustang. "Ian Kabra," he told her.

The not-so-quiet sounds of a rock band of some sort played through the speakers. Lauren fluttered her eyelashes at him as she sat down in the car and cranked up the music.

"_We'll love again, we'll laugh again and it's better off this way! And never again, and never again. They gave us two shots to the back of the head and we're all dead now!" _she sang, banging her head to the beat before killing the car's engine.

Ian felt a shiver crawl down his spine. The lyrics of the song were harsh, a type of music he never would have guessed this girl listened to. It was rather off-putting.

"Pleased to meet'cha, Mr. Ian Kabra," Lauren said, offering up her hand for him to take when they reached the doors of the hotel. "How about dinner's on me tonight, okay?"

Ian nodded and grinned. Oh, how Dan would like to see him now.

**~lovelovelove~**

**(If you guys can believe it, I had a frickin thousand words typed here and then accidentally shut the tab. -.- I LOST all of it. *le sigh*) **

Lauren definitely wasn't short of money.

As soon as Ian walked into the hotel with her on his arm, he turned towards the small coffee-shop that the hotel provided. Instead, Lauren shook her head and tugged him in the direction of the other much fancier restaurant.

"Sorry, but I'm so hungry I could eat that concierge. Let's grab something here, it's on me!" Lauren had explained.

Ian complied easily - the last thing he had eaten had been a pathetic little bran muffin from the gas station next to the police headquarters. "So what do you do for a living?" he asked as they sat down at a small table for two.

A small flutter of surprise jittered across Lauren's pretty face before she responded smoothly, "I'm a teacher at an elementary school. I teach fifth grade there."

"Ah, I see, _Miss Jacobs," _he flirted, winking at her.

She smiled and looked down at the black menu. "What are you going to order?"

Ian shrugged before glancing over his menu as well. "Something with fish. I've been craving it lately."

"I recommend the red snapper," Lauren informed, still staring at the page of meals. "I'm going to order the caesar salad with chicken. And teryaki ginger dressing."

Ian nodded and called over the waiter, ordering for the both of them. The man smiled dryly at them before asking, "Anything to drink with that?"

"Not for me, just a water," Ian replied. "Lauren?"

"A glass of your _finest _red wine," she purred. "Money's no object, give me the best!"

The waiter smiled and nodded, taking their menus with a, "The drink will be right out."

"You are quite the remarkable woman," Ian chuckled. "Money's no object, I see?"

Lauren grinned from ear-to-ear like the Cheshire Cat. "My job pays well."

_As an elementary school teacher? _Ian wondered in surprise. "It must. So, I take it you're a local?"

"Visiting," Lauren replied. "I'm from Boston. I needed a break from the stress of my last relationship. It was devastating."

"I get that," Ian said.

Music twinkled softly in the background, a low thrum of chatter filling the air and warming the area around them. It was relatively late to be out, so the few couples that were out at dinner were speaking softly to each other in words only the other could hear.

"Here's your drink, ma'am," the waiter said, returning with the drinks. He placed Ian's water in front of them along with a glass of red wine.

"Thank you, sir," Lauren told him, looking Ian directly in the eyes before closing her icy blues and taking a light sip.

Ian watched her facial expressions change from questioning, to surprise, to contentment. She opened up her eyes again and murmured, "It's like a poem. Good food or wine is like a song to the soul."

"What would the words be?" Ian asked, entranced by this strange new girl.

She didn't answer."_Juliet loves the beat and the lust it commands. Drop the dagger and lather the blood on your hands, Romeo," _Lauren hummed to herself.

Ian felt another shiver go down his spine, thinking of the knives he had seen embedded inside of human flesh. His job was taxing. Every night brought either a horrific dream and nightmare or the screams of the sick, twisted freaks' victims from the crimes he'd seen.

"So what do _you _do for a living, Mr. Kabra?" she asked after taking another sip.

He cleared his throat and said, "I'm with the FBI." and immediately wished he hadn't.

Her eyes perked up in an instant. "There's been a murder?" she whispered, leaning close to him.

Ian, feeling sick, replied, "Yes, actually. In an old mansion on the edge of the city."

Lauren grimaced, though her excited facial expression didn't change. "Who did it?"

"I shouldn't tell you..."

She stared at him in shock. "Please? Do you honestly know who did it? It's not like I have any friends around here to tell!"

"Fine," Ian puffed, blowing air out. "It was an international assassin. We don't know her real name, but she's known as Doll."

There was an abrupt squealing sound as Lauren pushed her chair back and put her head in his hands. "Can you excuse me for a moment? I'm not feeling too well..." she coughed.

"It's fine, love," Ian assured her. The news of a murder in a nearby location always jarred people to the very center, even if they didn't know the person themselves.

Lauren stood up and waltzed over to the bathrooms with a secretive glance at the corner of the room. Ian followed her gaze as the doors closed shut. There was nothing there. Just a few chairs and a camera hung up in the very back.

Ian shook his head. He was absolutely smitten with a girl he had only known for less than an hour.

**~lovelovelove~**

Amy kicked the tiled wall and cursed quietly. _How could they know it was me this quickly? It hasn't even been a day and the Feds are already out here._

She looked in the mirror and tried not to scoff at the idiotic disguise she was wearing. The blue contacts did nothing for her vision except annoy her and the red wig was itching like crazy.

Lauren Jacobs was the identity she had adopted, thrown together after her last murder in Egypt. Amy's train of thought was quickly steered away from her line of work to the man sitting outside waiting for her.

She had to admit - he was charming. And classy. And had good manners. And could probably handle a gun really well. She sighed. It really was such a shame that all of this would be killed by the end of the night...

Or. A sudden idea struck her and she grinned wildly. Oh, this would be fun.

Amy leaned against the wall and smiled. She could have a little fun with this case. He was an agent and she could totally screw with his mind if she played her cards right. Maybe even get him to fall in love with her before she popped up with a knife in hand. This would be good.

_As my last mission, I now take it into my own hands to have as much fun with this last target as possible before disposing of him. Signed, Amy Trent. _

Amy imagined the contract in her head and stifled a giggle before checking her new appearance and leaving the bathroom.

Ian was waiting for her with their food, their dinners untouched. "I wanted to wait for you to finish before I began," he told her earnestly, his suave British accent like silk on her ears.

A warm feeling blossomed in the pit of her stomach like a bomb, settling through her entire body. She was rather fond of it, she realized, after only a split second of having it. Maybe these next few days would keep it there.

"You're such a gentleman, Ian," Amy laughed.

"And you're such a beauty, Lauren," Ian replied, smiling. "A toast?" he suggested, raising his water-glass.

Amy laughed, a sound that caused Ian to cock his head to the side and grin even broader. "Of course, of course." She raised her glass. "To freedom and having a good time."

"Freedom and a good time," Ian echoed, looking mildly confused though smiling none-the-less. "And running into gorgeous strangers."

"That too," Amy whispered with a wink. They clinked glasses and both took long sips before digging into their meal.

**~lovelovelove~**

At the end of the meal, Amy put her fork down and looked Ian straight in the eye, smiling innocently. "I'm going to have fun with this."

Ian's eyes widened in surprise.

**~lovelovelove~**

"What do you mean by that, Lauren?" Ian asked, startled.

Lauren blinked. "I just meant that getting to know you should be fun. It will be, right?"

At this, Ian laughed uncertainly. "It'll be a ball, love."

**~lovelovelove~**

Amy grinned and reflected on the dinner as Ian led her to the room she was going to stay at for the night. She hadn't felt like she was acting through the course of it, like most of her other fake identities required. And she was rather beginning to enjoy it.

On her way in, Ian kissed her hand and slipped something inside, adding a wink for good measure. Then, he turned and strutted down the hall.

She opened her palm in confusion. A piece of paper sat there, its inked on words making her smile in surprise. The writing was incredibly familiar, she thought, as she read it.

_Good night, my love._

**Dang, I'm shocked I managed to type this up so quickly. XD I started literally the night I posted the other one and it's already done. I hope you guys liked the chapter and weren't too confused by the whole Amy/Lauren thing. Basically, Lauren is Amy's alias.**

**And how do you guys feel about Ian's job? :D Haha to answer one of my reviewer's questions: "Yes, I guess that if Amy wanted to she could vandalize, steal, and even murder without working for Vikram. But since she's kinda been brainwashed into working for him and following his rules, she doesn't think about it that way. Good question... XD"**

**Oh, and one more thing... You guys aren't going to see the ending before it hits, at least, not most of you. I kid you not, it is one of the less cliché things I've written, and I think you all should be warned about it. Like, no joke. I don't want to wake up on the morning after I finish this story and have a whole bunch of hate comments. XD **

**~Dani :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**I Never Told You What I Do For a Living**

** Chapter Three**

"Amy, _dahling_, it is simply wonderful to see you," a slightly nasally fake British accent said.

Amy grinned, a smile lighting up her face. "Sinead, I missed you!"

Sinead Starling smiled, her piercing green eyes twinkling. Orangey brown hair tumbled over her shoulders as she shook her head in surprise and threw her arms around Amy. "Where have you been? Has Vikram been keeping you locked up in a cellar or something?"

"Of course not! I've just been busy on assignments. So are you going to let me in or not?!" Amy exclaimed with a little laugh.

Sinead moved away from the door-way as Amy stepped in and took in her appearance. She was a few inches taller than Amy, but besides that, the girls could have been sisters. Both had auburn hair, though Sinead's was more of a burnt auburn than Amy's. Her eyes were more emerald than Amy's springy jade color.

"So what brings you here? You disappear for a year and then show up without a phone call! I felt like I had lost my sister!" Sinead cried, dragging Amy to the living room where the two sat down on a dark brown leather sofa.

"I'm sorry," Amy said honestly, her sarcastic drawl gone. "My Boss has been keeping me really busy."

Sinead scoffed, handing Amy a glass of coffee from the coffee table that sat untouched, still hot. "Trust me, sweetheart, I know all about that."

Amy offered a sorry little smile, traces of confusion lining her face as she sipped the coffee. "Sinead, honestly, don't you ever miss it?"

There was a slight pause as Sinead thought. Then, her eyes strayed over to a picture frame above the mantel. She sighed. "Not really, Amy. Sure, the adrenaline was exhilarating, but I don't really miss it in itself. Sometimes I wonder how I ever did it, to be honest. I'm not sure if I would want to kill anyone ever again."

Amy followed Sinead's gaze to a wooden picture frame and scoffed. "Puh-lease, falling in love with that freak is what changed you."

"It was," Sinead agreed. "Hamilton...is my everything. It's a long-distance relationship, but when I hear his voice or see him it's like I feel complete. It's something that working for Isabel could never complete."

"Whatever you say, Sinead," Amy sighed. "But I just don't think th - "

She stopped, put the coffee down and gaped at Sinead. Her stomach began quivering in a way that she only got when some incredible idea entered her head.

"What's wrong?" Sinead exclaimed. "That's your epiphany face."

"Kabra," Amy whispered uncertainly. "Isabel Kabra."

"My old Boss?" Sinead asked, raising a thin eyebrow. "She was a major bitch. I'm glad she's gone."

"But...Ian."

"Who's Ian?"

Amy leaped up out of her seat and pulled Ian's picture out of her skinny-jeans pocket. "Did she have a son named Ian?"

Sinead bit her lip looking worried. "Y-yeah, she did. Why?"

Grinning, Amy laughed, crumpling the picture in her palm. Oh, everything was beginning to come together perfectly. "Did Isabel know Vikram Cahill?"

"As in your Boss?" Sinead questioned, eyes darting to the picture of her boyfriend Hamilton on the mantle.

"Yes!" Amy squealed, grabbing her friend's shoulders. "Somehow, Ian's the last name on Vikram's list. He's the last person I have to kill."

A silence like death spread through the room before Sinead said, "Oh, oh God." with a terrified expression on her face.

"Ian Kabra?" Sinead asked worriedly. "Tall, good-looking, amber eyes, black hair?"

Amy nodded, her glowing grin beginning to fade. "Yeah, why?"

There was a moment where Amy was sure that Sinead was going to make her leave. Then she said, "You know what my boyfriend Hamilton Holt does for a living? Or my brothers?"

A gnawing feeling of irritation began eating at Amy's insides. "No. What does he do?" She rolled her eyes.

Sinead stared at Amy. "They work as FBI agents. They're here this weekend for a case down at a mansion around here. Guess who works with them?"

"Ian...Kabra..." Amy whispered. "Oh, my God. Have you met him before?"

"Yeah, actually, I have. They stopped by on the way to the police station and told me about the murder. I can't believe I didn't pick up on who it was sooner," Sinead replied, shaking her head. "He's a really sweet guy, to be honest. You'd like him if you didn't have to murder him."

For a split second, Amy actually didn't know what to say. Then, she simply said, "I had dinner with him last night."

An expression of horror flashed across Sinead's face as she lurched forward, grabbing onto the couch arm. "Oh God... so he's gone?"

"No, not at all!" Amy assured her. "I was going to have some fun with him..."

Sinead stared at her blankly. "That's sick."

"It's not like you haven't done it!" Amy snorted. "I know for a fact you did it to one of your victims."

"Just do me a favor a don't draw it out," her friend sighed.

"I promise," Amy swore, nodding slightly.

"To answer your question, yes, Isabel knew Vikram. They didn't get along, save for a select few occasions," Sinead said, pushing Amy towards the door.

"That great news!" Amy exclaimed.

Sinead just shook her head and rolled her eyes.

"And you do know I wouldn't be doing it if I didn't have to," Amy told her, feeling a pang of something reverberate inside her heart.

Sinead just looked at her with creased eyebrows. "Would you?"

**~lovelovelove~**

Ian was feeling so stressed he thought he was going to break like a rubber band. His team members were all driving him crazy, the local cops were giving them the silent treatment for invading their space, and the coffee machine was broken. Basically, he was in hell.

"Boss!" yelled a slightly giddy sounding voice as the guys returned from their lunch break.

Ian, who was sitting at the desk going over profiles, looked up and grinned warily. "What's going on?"

Dan was practically quivering with excitement. However, it was Hamilton who answered his question, though less hyper-active than Dan, looked quite pleased with himself. "We caught someone. A forger by the name of Jonah Wizard. Ted's interrogating him now."

Finally, after a day of trying not to tear his hair out, they had something interesting going on! "What's he being questioned about?" he asked.

"Well, you know how assassins change identities all the time, to stay below the radar?" Dan asked, looking at Ian with excitement in his eyes. Ian nodded and motioned for him to continue. "Jonah is one of the best guys on the market, and the fact that he's around here shows that Doll might _just _have left! It's possible that he knows more about this chick!"

A grin split across Ian's face as he patted Dan and Hamilton on the backs. "Maybe I should send you out to get lunch more often. And did you get the lo mein I asked for?"

They both averted their gazes and muttered things about being caught up in the action and what not. Ian would have been angry if he wasn't so excited about this lead. They needed something or the case was going to be dropped and they'd be called back to Quantico.

"Starling!" Ian crowed, putting on his bad-cop persona as he strutted into the interrogation room.

Ted looked up, his bright red glasses on the bridge of his nose and his auburn hair messy. His eyes were large and brimming with knowledge as he looked at his superior. "Hello, Kabra. I was just asking Mr. Wizard here about his latest transaction with a client."

Ian nodded and looked Jonah over. The man was "swagger" personified, if that made any sense. His clothes were expensive but worn in a manner that made them appear like street-clothes. Metal links and chains hung around his neck in a garish gold color. Dark chocolate eyes looked out of a face of the same color, a casual smirk across his face. He slouched comfortably and chuckled. "Hey there, cop," he drawled.

Keeping the routine they had down in mind, Ian snarled, "It's _Mr. _Cop for you, you no-good idiot. Tell us about your last client."

Jonah merely blinked and then let out a grin. "Of course. No use in denying it."

"Kabra, calm down," Ted soothed, his acting superb. "And go ahead, Mr. Wizard." Ian knew that under the acting was a level of rage.

"She was young, about your guys' age. She had green eyes even though her ID said she had blue, and bright, bright red hair, a bit like a fire-engine. She was slim. And average height. Panicked when I called her Doll - whipped a gun out and had it in my face before I could take it back," Jonah explained, ticking the list of traits off on his fingers. "And she was very pretty."

Ian imagined Doll in his head, conjuring up images of a devilish looking woman with flames for eyes. "Is that it?" he growled at the same moment Ted said, "Thank you, this is quite helpful."

"What can I say, Mr. Cop?" Jonah held up his hands innocently. "I don't usually exchange names or phone numbers with my clients. They're all rather secretive. Oh, but I do know she paid a pretty penny for it."

Satisfied, Ian nodded and winked at Ted before slamming his hands down on the table and abruptly standing up. "Fine. Ted, take him down to the slammer, remove all jewelry or accessories that could be used for escape, and get this sorry imbecile out of here."

"My bling!? Wait - " Jonah yelped, just as Ian was about to put his hand on the door handle. "There was one other thing."

Ian grinned internally. The bad-cop thing always worked. "What?" he asked savagely.

Jonah gulped, eyes wild at the thought of being thrown in a prison and said, "Uh, yeah, her initials. She had two of them. She asked for different ones on two different passports. I never paid attention to the name but the initials were _AT _and _LJ."_

Ted raised an eyebrow at Ian and nodded, a sly smile covering his face. Ian smirked and flicked his thumb at the door. "Thanks for the cooperation, Wizard. I'm sure you'll be plenty happy in the local prison."

With that, he slammed the door shut behind him as he walked out into the main office, Jonah's quivering voice behind him.

Dan materialized in front of him, happiness on his face. "How'd it go? Any new info?"

Ian smiled and nodded. It was so easy to forget that Dan was the youngest of the group - he had seen so much in such a short life. He annoyed the crap out of Ian, but he was still brilliant. "It went wonderfully. Let Ted relay the information - I'm rubbish at repeating things the right way."

Hamilton was waiting inside the conference room, sipping at a McDonald's cup that smelled of root beer. He was examining the map of Doll's murders, an intense expression on his features.

"What's the news, Holt? You look like you're in on something," Ian said, looking at the maps himself. There didn't appear to be any connection so far, not that they could put together. Ned was still at Quantico on his super-computers, trying to find out any connection between the kills.

"It's just - " Hamilton broke off and looked at the ground awkwardly. "I know we're not supposed to talk about personal situations, sir, but I'm really worried for Sinead. She lives here too and she promised she'd call and she hasn't yet and with Doll out and running I was just - " Hamilton took a deep breath and exhaled. "Could I take an hour to run to her house and check up with her?"

Ian thought about the situation before nodding in consent, remembering the intelligent sister of Ned and Ted, Hamilton's girlfriend. "That's fine, but be prepared for a few extra pages of paperwork."

Hamilton grinned and grabbed his coat from the back of a chair. "God, you're the best, Kabra." He darted out the door, only to shoot back in and point at the board with the map of the world on it. "It looks like _VK._"

With that, he ran out of the police station, eager to see his girlfriend. A moment before, Ian had been contemplating letting him go, but now all of his attention was focused back on the map. _VK?_

**~lovelovelove~**

Amy was attempting to sing along to the song that was blasting from her speakers. "_Where are ya, Destroya!?" _she yelled, completely off-sync, but smiling.

Despite the bombed trip to Sinead's, Amy was in a wonderful mood. And she knew exactly why. Ian Kabra had completely made her night.

The date had been replaying itself in her mind all day, despite her horror. She never got attached to people she liked, not ever. And yet, after only one dinner, Amy was officially infatuated with the man.

She was on her way to the police station to see him, grinning like a mad-man. What a laugh. A wanted assassin strutting in a police headquarters to ask her target on a date. The sun was shining with her, laughing with her, as she pulled up to the building and turned off the ignition.

One look in the mirror assured her that her disguise was flawless as always, her smile positively glowing. She slipped her purse over her shoulder and stepped out of the car and into the police station.

It smelled like air fresheners, coffee, and too much stress. Men and women in uniforms scuttled around, some being led by dogs. There was a lot of chatter and straight lines. And tan. Amy made a face as the man at the entrance checked her for weapons. She absolutely _hated _the color tan.

He directed her towards the back or the building, telling her that the FBI team was stationed in there for the time being, an air of annoyance surrounding him. She thanked him politely and walked to the conference room he had told her about.

Ian was leaning against the long, wooden table, staring a hole into the map on the wall. Pictures of bloody crimes scenes and head shots of the victims were lined up on the wall as well. Tacks were stuck into the map at different points and Amy smiled as she recognized her handy-work. Two men; an auburn haired, tall lanky guy in a sweater vest and a shorter brownish blonde dude; stood next to him, both talking.

She cleared her throat and they looked over in surprise.

Immediately, Amy felt her blood go cold. Her brother Dan's face was staring back at her, a look of surprise gracing his petite features. "Amy?!" he exclaimed, startled.

Amy forced herself to giggle and said, "No, I'm Lauren. Lauren Jacobs. I had dinner with Ian last night and I came to ask him something. If you all are busy I'll leave..."

"Oh, sorry," Dan muttered, looking absolutely mystified.

"It's fine, love, really." Ian looked at her as his face lit up. "It's wonderful to see you again."

The other man, who Amy recognized as Sinead's brother, Ted, glared at her. "How'd you know where to look for him?"

"We discussed it during dinner last night," she replied, feeling strangely confronted. Amy desperately wanted to glare daggers at him, but it wouldn't fit the personality. "He told me he was working on a case."

Ted turned and gave Ian a pointed look before turning back and taking in Amy's appearance. "Interesting hair," he said. "Very red."

Dan was still staring, though as this was said, he jerked in surprise, eyes widening. "Oh, yeah, it's cool!" he exclaimed. "Oddly familiar."

Finally, Ian pushed his way forward and growled, "If you two are done interrogating my date, I'm going to go walk her to the car. Keep talking about the map, please."

The two men grumbled, Ted keeping an especially close eye on her as the door to the room swung shut. Amy grabbed Ian's hand and smiled prettily. "I missed you. The work day is almost over and I just thought that I'd stop in."

"It was a brilliant idea, love," Ian murmured, his eyes gazing in awe at her. "You're very beautiful, by the way."

Amy felt pleasant shivers crawl up and down her spine and she laughed. "And you're very charming." She kissed his cheek. "And handsome. When do you get out of this joint?"

Ian checked his expensive white watch and groaned. "Two hours. When I get out, want to head to a real restaurant, not just a hotel's pathetic excuse for one?"

"I have another idea!" Amy exclaimed, suddenly excited for something incredibly childish. "Can I surprise you later?"

Ian's posture straightened as the appeal of a surprise entered his eyes. They gleamed catlike, their supernatural golden color glowing. "Of course, love," he said, pushing the glass door open.

Amy smiled happily, shocked to the very core. When was the last time she had been excited about something like this!? "Wonderful! I'll meet you in the hotel lobby at six thirty, sound good?"

As he opened up the car door for her, Ian chuckled. "Sounds perfect. And by the way, here's my cell phone number. Feel free to give it a ring." He handed her a slip of paper she hadn't noticed him having. Amy tucked it away deep into her purse, feeling the contents shift.

Suddenly, there was a shout from across the parking lot. A familiar man in jeans and a multitude of loud looking necklaces was fighting against the cops that were trying to force him into a police car. "That's her!" he screamed. "That's her - "

The door slammed shut and one of the cops sent Amy an apologetic smile. She shook her head and waved it off as Ian glowered at the cop-car.

"I'm sorry about that, Amy," Ian groaned.

"It's okay! See you later, hot-shot," Amy flirted, blowing a kiss as she pulled away. That warm and fuzzy feeling was back, still feeling as though someone had dropped a balloon of warm water into her stomach. She hugged it internally, happy to have it back, though seeing Jonah Wizard had put a bit of a damper on things. Ah, well, no one was perfect.

She cranked up the music and sang along to the lyrics, _"I got a bullet-proof heart. You've got a hollow-point smile! Me and your runaway scars, got a photograph dream on the getaway mile."_

For whatever reason, seeing Jonah hadn't shaken Amy as much as she supposed it should have. None of the agents seemed to suspect her, except for maybe Sinead's brother. And besides, Amy could just finish him off some other time.

The phone number ended up having a note attached to it when she got around to looking at it at the stop light.

_Good job at embarrassing me at work, love. xoxo _

**There you go! This one took a significant amount of time longer than the other two. At first, I was totally stumped on what to write, and then suddenly it was like a dam was let loose. I couldn't stop writing for like, a full two hours! It was crazy. XD**

**Reviews are love, darlings! They make my day.:) **

**~Dani :3**


	4. Chapter 4

**I Never Told You What I Do For a Living**

**Chapter 4**

Ian was in shock as he walked back into the police headquarters, his mind spinning with information. Nothing seemed to penetrate his thinking besides the words, "_It's okay! See you later, hot-shot." _It wasn't so much the words - which had indeed left his heart in a hailstorm of feelings - but the fact that Lauren had said them in general.

As in, a response to being called Amy.

He wasn't quite sure what to think; maybe she just hadn't heard him correctly. Or maybe she hadn't wanted to embarrass him by correcting him. Or maybe... Maybe something else _was_ going on here.

Ian shook his head, trying to rid any thoughts like that from his head as he entered the conference room where Ted and Dan were talking in quick whispers, heads bent together.

"- looked just like her!" Dan was saying.

Ted nodded and whispered, "And her entire appearance was spot-on."

"Should we say something to Ian?"

"Say what to me?" Ian asked, crossing his arms and leaning back on a heel.

They both shot up, Dan toppling back and collapsing onto the floor in a heap of limbs. "Oomph!"

Ted sprang up with a bit more grace than Dan did, instead looking at Ian nervously. "Nothing," was his only response as he began to help up his fallen colleague.

Ian rolled his eyes and decided not to pry further. He walked over to the map until he was just inches in front of it, staring at where the two idiots behind him had drawing lines to connect the spots. "It really does look like _VK_," he muttered to himself.

Suddenly, he froze. _VK? _"My father's initials are _VK_," Ian groaned, leaning back against the table and examining the map.

"Whoa," Dan said, sounding sceptic. "You think your father is the crazy rich dude funding this psycho-chick?"

Ted's eyebrows shot up on his forehead. He immediately stepped closer to the map, his thin fingers tracing a line between part of the _V_ that appeared to be missing. Ian followed his movements with his eyes, stopping in shock when he realized something.

"There's a spot missing," Ted finally said, proving Ian's fear. "Right there, that little spot on the _V_."

Dan poked his head closer to the two guys and took a look. "If he plans on following his pattern..." He trailed off worriedly.

Ian didn't need him to finish his sentence. If he followed his pattern the next place she would have to strike would be...

"D.C.," Ted sighed, confirming Ian's suspicions once again. "If this is your dad, you must've done something pretty crappy as a son in his eyes. Because I think you're the next target."

Ian just stared at the map in shock, eyes never leaving the little star with the letters _DC _next to it. Was it possible that his own father was trying to get him killed?

**~lovelovelove~**

Amy was having the time of her life getting ready for she and Ian's date. Her hotel room was strewn with clothes and shoes and music was playing from the portable sound speakers she carried everywhere with her. In her hand, a glass of red wine was poised delicately on her finger tips as she scrutinized the clothing.

Her final decision came through with her wearing a pair of camo-colored Capri pants that were made from some weird, khaki-like material and a white shirt that cut off right about the waist of the pants. On her feet were a pair of brown combat boots. No accessories were needed, save for two strips of black on her cheeks and a heavy line of black eyeliner around her eyes.

She was ready to go, but first she had to leave a message.

"Hey, babe, ready to have some fun? Good, cause this place sounds awesome and I've always wanted to try this. Make sure you don't dress up - something that you can get dirty and ripped up would be the best. Oh! And bring your gun holster! Meet'cha at six thirty!" Amy exclaimed into the phone while redoing her nails.

The events from earlier today were sitting on her mind a bit heavily, especially seeing Dan. Seeing him had stirred something in her, a feeling of almost sadness, which was absurd. Amy hadn't been what one could qualify as sad in years. But his big eyes and child-like air to him was still there, despite him being a grown man and seeing all that he did for a living. These feelings were scaring Amy, and she didn't like it.

It was already six and she was feeling safe to assume that he was out of work by now, just getting ready. Amy looked at the clock impatiently, feeling some genuine excitement for the date. Maybe, just maybe, she'd have to keep this one alive.

**~lovelovelove~**

Lauren had a way of making Ian cheer up no matter what was going on, it seemed. As soon as he saw her strutting towards him with the army-like outfit on, he couldn't help but let out a laugh.

"Do you like it?" she asked, grinning up at him.

Ian nodded and smiled, trying to push the new-found information down and out of his mind. "So where is this mysterious place you're taking me to?" he asked, linking arms with her and putting the other hand in the pocket of his jeans. "And what's with the gun holster?"

Lauren shook her head playfully as they walked to the car. "That is confidential information, Agent Kabra. But I'm sure you'll have a fun time!"

He laughed as she pushed him into the passenger seat of her car. She hopped in right after and, as always, the first order of business was to crank up the music. This time it was different from the rock band from before.

"_The I.V. and your hospital bed. This was no accident, it was a therapeutic chain of events," _Lauren sang softly before the song ricochet into an explosive lyrical blast.

Ian got into the song, laughing with Lauren as she belted out the lyrics with his back up on the electric air guitar. They were both breaking into a fit of giggles and hysterical laughter by the time Lauren pulled the car into a parking lot.

The building was large and ware-house like with blinking neon lights advertising: _Paintball. _Lauren squealed in excitement and turned to Ian. "I've been wanting to try this for ages. Handling a gun sounds like fun and it's an excuse to pelt people with paint balls."

Laughing in surprise Ian said, "I haven't been to a paintball place in ages! You're going to love it! So that's why I needed my gun holster?"

Lauren nodded excitedly and yanked the keys out of the car. "Let's go, Ian!"

He grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the door. Inside was a counter with a punk-looking teenage girl with choppy black hair dyed blue at the ends. "Hey, guys!" she exclaimed with a smile. "My name's Sarah. This your guys' first time?"

Ian shook his head and smiled at Lauren before looking at Sarah. "I've been before but this is her first time."

Sarah grinned. "Nice to see someone other than idiot teenage boys come here for a change. So you've probably never dealt with our system before because my cousins - the ones who run this place - decided to be weird. Basically, behind this desk I have an assortment of guns for you and masks and such. After you get your supplies you can go. Next round starts in five minutes."

Lauren grinned. "Awesome! So can I see them?"

Sarah bent down under the counter and heaved up a cardboard box filled with the different guns. "Here you guys go."

Ian immediately grabbed a large, machine-gun type thing and began loading the pellets into it. "I don't think this is going to fit into my holster, love."

He looked up only to find Lauren ogling at a shot-gun that she was loading with paint. "I'll take it then! I didn't know these guns were even used in paintball!"

Ian didn't know either, but Sarah just grinned. "We bought that off of this kid who used to come here like, daily. Said he made it himself out of an old one and pieced it together. I don't know if it's true but that one's pretty sweet to use. Definitely my favorite."

Lauren grinned and motioned for Ian to hand over the holster. "I'll take it! And then let's go!"

Ian shrugged but smiled at Lauren. She hooked it onto the hip of her pants and stuck the gun inside. Then, she grabbed two masks and tossed one to Ian. "Let's go!" she exclaimed, tugging Ian's hand towards the door.

With a wave good-bye to Sarah, who was laughing at Lauren's enthusiasm, they ran for the door. Inside it was dark and cool, the paths and walls and obstacles lit up with different colored lights. Lauren darted off towards a hall that veered left and whispered, "When it starts, catch me if you can!"

The minute before it started ticked down. Finally, a bell went off. There was a rush of sound around Ian as everyone began moving. Before long, the main room sounded empty.

Ian took a few steps down the hallway Lauren had gone down and was immediately met with a wide, pitch black corridor. Every few feet a new door appeared on either sides of the hall, illuminated by the light.

One of them was propped open just slightly, making Ian grin in satisfaction. What a newbie. He crept inside stealthily, the years of FBI training kicking into gear. It felt empty inside until there was a breath of air on his right.

He turned around and fired in that direction, only to see the shadowy form of Lauren tuck and roll closer towards the corner of the room. She stood up quickly and fired, hitting him directly in the chest with a maniacal laugh. He gaped in shock as he let loose another shot, only to have her dart out-of-the-way and into another door that led out of the room.

Ian laughed quietly as adrenaline rushed through his system. He could hear her fast foot-steps running down the halls, her light breathing turning away from him. He followed quietly, gun poised in his hands. There was the sound of someone falling and a feminine voice cursing softly if he turned left.

Ian launched himself forward and was met with a group of teenage girls smirking. They all fired at once as he saw Lauren give a cheeky wave from behind them. For good measure, she shot another paintball at his forehead. "Catch me if you can, love!"

The girls disappeared in a haze of black clothes and body piercings. Ian smirked to himself and shook his head. Lauren claimed she had never done this? Never shot a gun? Then she was one hell of a natural.

He grabbed his gun from the floor and decided that he would try to cut Lauren off instead of following her, which only seemed to backfire immensely. Quietly he began to run down the corridor to his left, following another path as he dodged other kids playing the game. He hit a few people though his mind was only on catching up to Lauren.

"Ten more minutes for this round!" Sarah's voice boomed over the loud-speaker.

Ian picked up his pace, trying to get back to the center room. If his strategizing was correct, that's where she'd be. Finally, when Sarah announced, "Five more minutes!" he entered the room and perched himself on top of one of the columns in the back before climbing up to the metal rafters on the ceiling. He sat there for a moment before the familiar light breathing Lauren announced her arrival.

Carefully, just loudly enough to alert her that he was there, Ian coughed. She turned with wide eyes before Ian smirked and shot the gun. Lauren grabbed her forehead and cursed. As she removed her hand, her fingers were dripping with red paint. She took aim with her own pistol and shot him no less than ten times, pelting him with a myriad of rainbow-colored paints.

Ian fell of the beam with a laugh and pulled her into a kiss, feeling the paint from her forehead stick to his. His hands were covered in different colors and her pretty white shirt was probably a mess, but she kissed him back anyway, a smile playing on her lips.

"Annnnd time!" Sarah shouted.

But they didn't pay attention.

**~lovelovelove~**

Amy watched Ian as he talked to one of his agents on the phone. Her makeup was smudged and her shirt and arms were dotted with paint, though she was no worse off than Ian. He was looking extremely upset as he paced around and spoke angrily into his phone. Suddenly, his entire demeanor changed. His shoulder slumped forward and he gaped as whoever was on the other end of the phone said something. Ian's eyebrows creased worriedly as he replied quickly.

With a shrug, Amy sank farther back into her seat as she let the sounds of Panic! At the Disco sweep over her. Tonight had been so much fun, more fun than Amy could remember having in a long time. And Ian had kissed her.

Of course, she had been kissed before. But it had never really mattered anything to her. Boys were like entertainment for her and it wasn't like they stayed around for very long anyway. Ian was...different though. Very different. And she kind of liked it.

"Hey, love," he said as he slid into the car. He sounded tired and sad. "Tonight was awesome. But I got some bad news and I'm going to have to get back to the police headquarters." Ian grabbed her hand in his and squeezed it.

"Why?" Amy asked, pulling out of the parking lot. "What happened? You sound upset."

Ian sighed and looked out the window. "My friend's girlfriend was shot in her house. And the killer left a note."

Amy's breath caught in her throat as her mind began to work overtime. "What's your friend's name?"

"Holt. Hamilton Holt. His girlfriend's name was - " Ian broke off as Amy began to breathe heavily. With a yelp of shock she pulled off the road and into a gas station parking lot.

Immediately she began sobbing, hysteria rising in her throat. Her heart was pounding a mile a minute as she tried to breathe, sputtering cries leaking from her mouth. Tears poured out of her eyes, blurring her vision and screwing with her contacts. Everything around Amy felt numb, like a strange dimension of reality.

"Lauren! Lauren, what's wrong?!" Ian asked in a panic, unsure of why she had suddenly burst into tears.

"M-my-y b-b-best fr-riend-d Sin-nead h-has a b-boyfriend n-named-d H-hamiltom!" Amy cried, her words slurred by hiccups and ragged breathing. "H-how m-many H-hamilton Holt-ts c-can their b-be ar-round here?"

Ian sounded stricken as he pulled her into a hug and whispered, "Oh, love, it's okay. Everything's going to be okay. Everything's going to be fine. I know it's hard now but everything will get better."

Normally filled with a hatred for being comforted, Amy melted into his embrace, shivering and shaking and praying that there was some huge misunderstanding. But Amy had never had an easy life, and in the deepest part of her heart, she knew that everything as she knew was about to change.

**~lovelovelove~**

The note read: _My Panther, _

_Don't get too comfortable. This girl was a wench, a servant of my ex-wife, who deserved nothing less than this. Conflicting affections can get in the way of the final target, remember that. Good luck. And to whomever else may be reading this: You're far too late. _

_VK_

**~lovelovelove~**

Ian didn't know what to make of the note as he stood next to a tear-stricken Hamilton, Dan, Ted, and Lauren. Lauren had run into the house that Sinead used to live in and collapsed into a sobbing mess next to Hamilton. Her first order of business, once she had recovered enough to stand properly, was to run upstairs to the bedroom and grab two picture frames which Ian was not allowed to see.

"They were mine," she had rasped quietly as she set them in her car. "I deserve them back if not just to remember her by."

Even Ted's cynical mouth had been quieted as he watched Hamilton and Lauren (who hadn't ever met) cry together as he tried not to lose it. Ned showed up an hour after the arrived at the house, his computer in tow, analyzing the room with his technology while crying hysterically for his departed sister. Dan was in a haze of confusion as he helped look for any evidence that might be lying around the house.

Lauren seemed to be the only thing on his mind, however, as every few seconds he'd look over to her and blink in frustration. "-just like her," he'd mutter as he combed each room for clues.

Ian was baffled. There was nothing except for the note, which confirmed his worst suspicions. Doll, the assassin, was here and after a target in this area. Sinead must have known her, and now that she was dead, there was no way they'd be able to get any help from her. The "too late" part was worrying to Ian who was now certain that Doll was after him and in the area.

He had shown the note to Lauren who read it with a blank face and whispered sadly, "Sinead always had a secretive past. And she was always speaking with strange people. I guess we knew what she did for a living now."

Ian's heart had broken for Lauren. And Hamilton. And at this point, Sinead and Dan, both who were somehow connected to all this. And Ned and Ted were both in shock, whispering with each other and trying to look any where but their sister's body.

His father was the cause of this. But there was a slight problem. In order to find Doll, they kind of had to find Vikram. The thing was, as far as anyone knew, Vikram had been dead for five years.

**~lovelovelove~**

"_VK_," Amy growled viciously as she slammed the break on in a rest stop on the high way. "_VK_. So that's what this is all about. Vikram _Cahill_ - yeah _right_."

She pulled the picture that Vikram had given her of Ian from her pocket and tore it in two. "This isn't a normal mission at all, is it, _Father?" _

"Oh, no," she continued to herself, tearing the picture into shreds as the speaker blared loudly. "Vikram _Kabra_, is it? And it seems as though this is a family matter. You want me to kill your own son."

Through the car, the band sang, "_Only go so far til you bury them. So deep and down we go! Touched by angels though I fall out of grace, I did it all so maybe I'd live this every day."_

**I'm so sorry it took this long for me to get this chapter up! I've been working on a ton of stuff from original work, to homework, to a ton of other random fics I've been wanting to get up. *facepalm* How does an awkward vampiric Ian sound for a one-shot? :D**

**Well, it sure seems as though everything is beginning to come together nicely, now doesn't it? Yeah, it sure does. XD Do me a favor - if it ever takes me longer than a week to update, FLOOD MY INBOX with PMs and reviews telling me to update and I'll have it up as fast as possible.**

**Thanks! And please review. ;)**

**~Dani :3**


	5. Chapter 5

**I Never Told You What I Do For a Living**

**Chapter 5**

Their lives went on. Days passed and with it the horror of Sinead's death.

Ned and Ted refused to talk about it.

Hamilton was bent on revenge against the woman who had ended his soul mate's life.

Lauren was angry to the point that Ian was scared. There was more to their relationship than met the eye, that much he was certain of. Something serious had happened, and the cause may or may not have been Sinead's being murdered. He wasn't quite sure.

As days passed, Ian and Lauren's bond grew closer. They went on a date every night and spent an increasing amount of time with each other. What had started off as an innocent dinner in hopes of being with a pretty girl on the days while in town was growing into something much bigger than he could comprehend. Was it love? Lust? An innocent and platonic relationship?

Although it may not have been the latter, Ian knew that he wouldn't want to willingly part with Lauren. She was, it seemed, his other half. The yin to his yang, the clouds to his sky, the yarn to his cat, the Juliet to his Romeo. Whatever they were, it was something real and something solid, and something he didn't want to let go.

Arrive in the present, and there were some strange things going on. Well, strange happenings at least. After a full week and a half of the FBI being stationed in Philly, the cops wanted them out.

**~lovelovelove~**

"Ian, all I'm saying is that maybe it's for the better!" Ned exclaimed as Ian shook his head stubbornly, refusing to listen.

"No, Ned, it's not for the better! The evidence is here, the people connected to the victims are here, everything we need is here!" he defended angrily.

"Is it the evidence you're worried about?" Dan asked quietly. "Or the fact that wherever you are, Doll is going to strike?"

Ian fumed angrily. "Look, I'm not the one who's in trouble here!" he snarled.

A silence fell over the room. Lauren, who was sitting on a chair next to Hamilton (the two had formed an odd bond forged by their relationships with Sinead), looked up and furrowed her eyebrows. "Excuse me?"

"What?" Ted sighed, shaking his head.

"What is this about Doll following Ian?" Lauren demanded. "Why haven't I heard about this? What aren't you guys telling me?"

"We can't technically tell you anything," Ted snapped. "You shouldn't even be here, Lauren. You're not part of this case and you never will be, just a random girl who Ian found in the same hotel that he's staying at - "

"Ted. That's enough!" Hamilton yelled, standing up.

Everyone looked up in surprise. Ian felt his eyebrows shoot up to the tip of his forehead as Hamilton slammed his palms onto the table. The tall blonde had been nearly silent, brimming with barely contained anger since the accident, hardly saying a word.

"I get that you don't think Lauren should be here. I get that you don't trust her. Heck, we all know you don't! But she's as involved as we are so we might as well let her know everything." Hamilton glowered at the group, gaze landing on Ian after he finished glaring at Ted. "Just tell her everything."

"What is there to tell me?" Lauren asked again, looking at Ian with wide eyes. "Ian?"

Ian felt his will crumble and he collapsed into a seat at the head of the table. Around the room, the other agents that had been standing sat down reluctantly.

He opened his mouth and said, "We know it's my father that sent Doll after the last victim, or at least, he fits the profile and the initials we've found fit. All evidence points back to him. The thing is, if he follows the pattern of the map, it leads straight back to the place that I live in D.C. However, now I'm here, following Doll and the murder she just committed. Most likely, she already knows I'm here and at this point is just waiting for a moment to strike. The note pretty much confirmed it although it was meant for her to see it."

There was a short silence. "You know you have a trained assassin after you? What are you doing about it?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest and leaning back.

Ted's eyebrow quirked but he didn't say anything, though Ian was sure he had a few words ready to escape his mouth at the defensive gesture.

Ian was shocked that she wasn't more freaked out, but then again, Lauren was not anything if not resilient. "Nothing," he said. "We aren't doing anything. I have an industrial lock on my room at the hotel and I was able to locate a room with no windows for me to stay in. I constantly have my gun with me and we're never far from the police headquarters. It's nearly impossible for her to catch me unawares."

Lauren closed her eyes and breathed deeply, arms still crossed over her chest. "Are you sure, Ian?" she finally asked in a voice so quiet he had to strain to hear it. "And is that really all?"

Ted looked like he desperately wanted to say something.

Dan blurted out, "Sinead. Was an assassin for Ian's mother."

There was a crash and then Hamilton was storming out of the room, his chair tipped over onto the floor.

Lauren nodded in satisfaction and stood up as well. "Well, that's that."

She left the room with a shake of her head while saying, "Dan, c'mere."

Ian fell back in his seat and felt Ted's eyes on him as Dan left the room.

"There's something strange about that girl," Ted muttered, walking over to him.

When Ian opened his eyes he saw Ted quite close to him, a serious expression on his face.

"Would you fire me if we did some research on her?" Ned asked hesitantly. "I don't want to be rude, but if she's going to be on the inside of this investigation, I'd like some background on her."

Against his better judgment, Ian nodded silently.

**~lovelovelove~**

***The night before: Approx. 12:18 A.M.***

Amy _tried_ not to kill anyone, honestly.

Opera music pitched itself out of the warm room as steam filled the air from the hot water in the tub, covering the mirror with a thin layer of silver sheen. Rose petals dotted the floor along with the water, the scent of the petals commingling with the damp smell of the heat. A plush white rug covered the floor of the bathroom as Amy crept in quietly, her knife glinting uneasily.

Her adrenaline was pumping like crazy, off the charts wild. It raced through all parts of her body, filling her veins and making her feel like she was going to burst with excitement. The music filled her ears like a dull ache of noise while most of what she was hearing came from the angry pounding of her own heart. Candles filled the room with a slight glow that latched onto every crevice.

_Sinead's gone, she's dead, she's never coming back, and it's all my fault, all Ian's fault for being so god-damned irresistable, all Vikram's fault for hiding his true identity, all Dan's fault for being in the FBI at the same time I'm here, it's just everybody's fault! _she thought angrily, smoothing down her dress as the sound of an off-beat humming filled the room.

Amy grinned internally as she swept the smile off of her face and held the knife at her side, her white dress glowing in the dim, steamy lighting. Her bare feet crinkled the carpet comfortably as the man walked around the bend of the large bathroom and came to a stop before her.

Instantly, an expression of shock came over his face. Around his waist was a plush red towel that Amy knew would match terrifically with his blood. She smiled innocently and whispered in a monotone, "Hello."

He stepped back, moving farther into the corners of the room. "Who are you and why are you in my house?"

"Oh, I don't know," Amy said, running her finger along the edges of the knife. "Maybe because I know what you did last summer."

Amy was having a hard time keeping the laughter under control at the typical and crappy threat. It was a bad line from a movie that was unbearably cliché, and she was happily shocked when the man's face contorted with fear.

"No one knew about that!" he gasped. "It was an accident!"

Amy glowered at him, feeling the tips of her fake white wings quiver as her body did. Her favorite thing to do on free-lance assignments was to dress up for the part, and tonight she was playing the avenging angel.

"God doesn't like people who pretend to hide their sins," she whispered in an angelic voice. "But the devil does! I'm sure he'll greet you with open arms."

She stepped forward, and he stumbled in shock, falling to his knees. He put his palms together and started stuttering out prayers. "Our father who- who is in heaven - no that's not it - heaven is the name?" he stuttered to himself, trying to string together a coherent thought. "Please! I repent, Lord!"

"Too late!" Amy cackled, feeling a rush of satisfaction as she lowered the blade to his neck. "It's over quickly."

It was only after she was leaving the house with a bag of new necklaces and rings that Amy did wonder who the man was and what it was that he had done last summer.

**~lovelovelove~**

Amy watched as Dan followed her out of the conference room, a worried expression on his face.

"Hey, Lauren," he said nervously, looking up at her. His dirty blonde hair fell slightly into his eyes. "What's up?"

"I have something important to tell you," Amy admitted. "But I can't tell you here."

Dan nodded in confusion. "Okay. Where do you want to tell me?"

Amy pursed her lips, wondering if this was honestly the right thing to do. But she missed her brother terribly and wanted to speak to him like his sister, a wish that made her heart ache uncomfortably. "Do you mind taking an hour off to come to the hotel with me? Tell them it's for more evidence - interviewing me and such."

With a sound of consent, Dan disappeared back into the room. Amy waited patiently, feeling her heart begin to beat faster as she thought of the night before. Surely the police would get the call soon. What if she was sloppy? No, she never was... but what if they connected that murder back to Doll's? (Or rather, hers. She was beginning to think of herself in third person when referring to her alias).

"Ready to go?" Dan asked her, slight confusion lacing his words. "Want me to drive or...?"

"I'll drive!" Amy chirped, leading Dan to her car.

He whooped in appreciation as he plopped himself down on the passenger side of the vehicle. "Man, being a teacher really has its benefits," he noted, patting the dashboard fondly.

Amy hummed in response and slid in another CD into the sound system. "You listen to My Chem?" she asked, blasting the first notes of their more recently released works. "_If all my enemies threw a party would you light the candles? Would you drink the wine while watching television?"_

Dan's eyes lit up and he nodded. "My au pair showed it to me when I was younger! Nellie always had a taste for good music."

"...Nellie?" Amy asked hesitantly while pulling into the parking lot of the hotel. "What was she like?"

"Punk," Dan laughed, obviously remembering. "She always had her hair dyed these insane colors like purple and yellow and black, different meshes of color all at once. So much black eyeliner, I remember one year I just bought her a bucket of it for Christmas. And she had a ton of different piercings and a tattoo in the shape of a ticket stub with the words, _Let it be _on her shoulder-blade. Ah, Nellie was awesome. She's living somewhere in New York now, actually."

"I remember her!" Amy exclaimed.

Dan's head snapped up. "What?" he asked, his gaze combing over her. "You know, you look awfully like my sister, Lauren. It's rather odd."

Amy hesitated slightly before tugging off her wig with a sigh. She popped the contacts out carefully and shook her hair out before turning to Dan, whose eyes had gone wider than the moon. "Dan, I haven't been totally honest with you."

Dan's eyes seemed to bug out of his head. "Amy!?"

**~lovelovelove~**

Ian was...perplexed. That was a nice word to describe it.

Lauren Jacobs didn't exist, according to the super computer networking data base that was Ned's equipment. The twins could find neither hide nor hair of the pretty red head, even when they hacked into the government's base that kept the records for all the teachers across the United States.

She simply did not exist.

And the whole thing was beginning to get pretty damn odd.

"I'm going," Ian sighed to Ted, who was hunched over his brother's shoulder as he soaked in the information.

"Okay, don't be back too late, we still have work to do," Ned responded for him, rolling his eyes at how spaced out his brother was.

"See ya both." Ian shrugged his jacket on and undid his tie before looking around the building for Lauren.

Where was it that Dan had said they were going? To their hotel? That was over two hours ago and the hotel was only fifteen minutes away...

Confusion flooded through Ian as he waltzed out of the building, hands fumbling around in his pockets for his phone. Maybe Lauren could shed some light on the odd situation.

Outside, dusk was just falling like a gentle haze over the city. Light oranges and purples and soft pinks and blues lit up the sky as it faded to an ashy gray. The clouds danced on the roofs of the sky-scrapers that touched the sky, melting into the whirl of colors. It was cool and crisp out, the perfect night for investigating.

However, it was normal and completely expected, which was strangely enough, _unexpected_. Honestly, at this rate, Ian was beginning to expect lithe assassins and ninjas to rain down out of the sky while wielding... what? Light sabers? At the rate of confusion his life was going, he wouldn't be all that surprised.

Ian slipped the phone into his pocket with a sigh. It was dead.

A nice average night frightened him to the very core. How pathetic.

Ian sighed, ran a hand through his black hair, and walked to the edge of the street, hoping to catch a taxi cab. Being wanted by a trained assassin was enough to ensure that he didn't walk _anywhere_ anymore.

**~lovelovelove~**

"So Ian doesn't know?" Dan asked for the trillionth time as he and Amy shared a bag of gummy bears from the hotel shop.

She shook her head and smiled. "Nope. Not a clue."

"And you changed your identity because you were doing a project for acting school," Dan confirmed, a smile on his face as well. "That's...well, that's really cool. As a FBI profiler, I deal with epic things, but this just take epic to new proportions."

Amy laughed and popped a red bear into her mouth, smiling at the quick lie she had concocted. "It's nice to see that you don't hate me for wanting to just...get out of Boston."

"I'd never hold it against you, Amy," Dan said earnestly. His voice turned bitter as he said, "Trust me, there were days that I considered up and running out as well. The weight of Arthur's betrayal is sometimes too much to handle..."

Suddenly, a thought seemed to struck Dan. His face lit up like a lightbulb and he exclaimed, "My GOD that's it! Kabra was the name of our father's employer! That cements the theory that Vikram has taken over his father's roll! That will give us a good clue as to who Doll might be!"

Amy felt sick, suddenly. Her father...had been Vikram's father's assassin. So that meant that Vikram had pretty much harvested her specifically after his father had been killed. She had been bred for the life of murder.

She wanted to go out there and kill Vikram, stab him to death with one of his own knives, no joke. But all she said was, "Wow," in a flat tone of voice. Honestly. What was there that was left to say?

Dan's face morphed into a puzzled expression. "What was mom's name again? Hope...Cahill, was it? I've been thinking about her a lot recently."

Amy stopped walking. Cahill. Vikram Cahill. She felt bile rise in her throat. That sick freak had been throwing her clues all along, dancing the fact that he wasn't who he said he was right in front of her very eyes and she was just now seeing it with the help of her younger brother and a rag-tag group of FBI agents.

"Yeah," she whispered angrily. "It was Cahill."

They turned the corner that led into the lobby of the hotel and waved good-bye to the concierge before slipping outside towards Amy's car.

"So, I guess I can't say anything about this to anyone, can I?" Dan sighed.

Amy shook her head as she scanned the parking lot for her car. Dan bounded forward towards the shiny red vehicle, only to pull back in shock.

"Amy, what is that?" he asked in a shaky voice.

The note that was stuck on the windshield (written in a horribly ominous red ink) said,

_My Panther, _

_"I__'m not asking, you're not telling, he's not dead he only looks that way." _

_Remember that love is an assassin's fool. And say hello to your younger brother for me, I've heard he's quite the charmer. By the way...be on the lookout for me. There are lessons to be learned and lives at stake here. _

_With love,_

_ VK_

Amy sighed, and ripped the paper off the windshield in anger before pulling a small syringe out of her purse. "I'm sorry, Dan," she whispered, turning around.

Before he had time to even react, she stuck the needle into his forearm, the last of the gummy bears falling to the ground. His sleeping face looked up at her peacefully as she held him in her arms.

Amy laid him the seat as he snored slightly before starting the car, the music enveloping her. Suddenly, a taxi cab pulled into the hotel lot and unloaded Ian.

Amy turned to Dan and said aloud, "I love you. I hope you know that," before killing the ignition and running towards Ian.

**~lovelovelove~**

Ian watched as Lauren ran towards him.

But it wasn't Lauren.

Her red hair was gone.

Her blue eyes were gone.

Her facade had slipped away.

But the girl he loved was still there.

"Please, take us both to the nearest park," this new girl asked the driver.

He shrugged and nodded towards the seats. "You'll be there in five minutes."

She pulled him into the car and grabbed his hands. "I'm about to save your life, but you have to do everything I ask of you," she whispered quietly.

"Of course, Amy," Ian replied, trying out the name. It fit to a tee.

Amy winced and squeezed Ian's hand before looking out the window nervously. "What's going on?" Ian asked, feeling as though he already knew. "C'mon...love. Tell me. You know I'd trust you with my life."

As the taxi pulled up to the gates, Amy threw a wad of cash in there and tugged Ian towards the rows of gravestones. "This is a graveyard, not a park," she scoffed, sitting down on a marble bench underneath a willow tree. "Stupid driver." She evaded his question skillfully.

Shadows swept across the clearing and grabbed onto her eyes and cheekbones. She looked as gorgeous as ever, though her face was lined with worry.

"Please?" Ian asked quietly. He gulped and took a steady breath, finally ready to confront his biggest fear. "Please tell me what's about to happen... Doll?"

Amy's eyes widened in shock and she opened her mouth. "I - "

**Mwahahahahaha, I AM cruel, am I not? XD **

**Seriously though, this story is moving so quick, it isn't even funny. I had hoped it'd be longer than it's going to be. Only one or two more chapters left at this rate. Don't be surprised if you get an author's note soon announcing the end of the story.**

**I HOPE YOU ALL ARE KEEPING UP WITH THIS THING. XD XD XD XD I don't even know if I AM! X3**

**I want ten reviews at least to update, not to be a jerk. I want to know that people are appreciating my writing, really! I know I have a ton of faithful readers, but those of you who favorite this story and follow it without saying anything... would it kill ya to take a minute to type out a quick review for me? They make my day and I promise I'll reply to them next time! :D**

**Ask me anything in the reviews. About my stories, myself, anything. I'll reply. :)**

**With love!**

**~Dani :3**


	6. Chapter 6

**I Never Told You What I Do For a Living **

**Chapter Six**

Ned Starling certainly wasn't an idiot, but the case of Lauren Jacobs was beginning to get him frustrated.

Ian had walked out of the building a few minutes earlier, muttering about going to find her as Ned's brother Ted poured over the computer screen, desperate to find new information. His auburn eyebrows were furrowed in concentration.

Ned cleared his throat and said, "Dude, I can do that a lot faster."

"Shut it, Techy," Ted snapped back, using the derogatory nickname Ned had come to know. His brother had given it to him years ago when Ned had begun to excel in computers and technology. "There's just one more lead I have to follow."

Ned sighed dramatically and looked over his brother's shoulder. His eyes widened in surprise. "Why're you looking up Amy Trent?" he asked in an accusatory voice. "Dan's sister disappeared off the face of the planet years ago. For all we know she could be dead."

For a few minutes, Ted didn't answer, simply typing more words into other search engines that only the government had access to. His brother was muttering under his breath, glasses balanced on the bridge of his nose as he read what was in front of him.

Suddenly, just as Ned was thinking of pulling out his headphones to cease the boredom, Ted's head shot up. He was grinning triumphantly, though looked shocked at himself.

"So?" Ned prompted, leaning forward on his elbows. "What did you find?"

Ted explained. "Amy Trent moved to Britain years ago. She ditched Dan's family and went to England in hopes of starting a new life, right?"

Ned nodded.

Ted continued. "After tracing her credit card bills, I found that she frequented this shop a lot, a book store by the name of _Loose Ends, _which, consequentially, was also frequented by a man by the name of Vikram Kabra."

Ned gasped, a million scenarios crashing into his brain. "Ian's father!" he said in shock.

Ted simply nodded. "My guess is that Amy Trent was recruited by Vikram Kabra who was under a false name, otherwise he would've been caught immediately. As of the past few years, Vikram was thought to be dead by nearly everyone, because of a certain incident that we already know about. He most likely trained Amy like his father had her father, perfecting her already athletic abilities and turning her into a trained assassin. Fast forward to present, with one of his grudges held too long towards his son, Vikram sends Amy after Ian to kill him."

"This is all very helpful in solving our case," Ned interjected, now confused. "But what does this have to do with Lauren Jacobs? What does Amy Trent have to do with her and Ian? Or Vikram for that matter?"

"That's where your computer techyness comes in," Ted replied, turning the computer screen towards Ned slowly. "Look, if a known assassin was coming into the USA, wouldn't she change names and personalities?"

Ned gasped as he saw the animated video in front of him. It was two real images, one old school photo of Amy Trent, side by side with a more recent picture of a smiling Lauren Jacobs. As the video moved on, the pictures became more see-through, slightly transparent. They eventually overlapped, forming a perfectly portrait of a smiling Amy Trent.

"Oh my god," Ned gasped, suddenly feeling his heart skip a beat. He shut his eyes and whispered, "Amy Trent is the assassin for Ian's father, like Sinead was for his mother. Amy was sent to kill Ian. She fell for him, didn't she?"

Ted nodded, looking ill. "That's the only reason I can imagine he's still around. But they're in trouble, Ned."

Ned's breath hitched in his throat and he asked, "Ian went to find Amy, didn't he? And Dan had gone with her earlier?"

Ted was already grabbing his coat and running for the door. "C'mon, Ned. We don't have much time."

**~lovelovelove~**

Hamilton Holt was far past the point of giving a crap about his job.

His girlfriend was dead and a serial killer and his boss was being hunted by an assassin, and honestly, Hamilton was fairly certain that a situation like this was grounds for being allowed to quit or take time off. That was why he had ditched the meeting and gone for a walk, because Hamilton was just fed up with everything.

He passed the hotel that Lauren had dragged Dan to a few hours earlier and remembered that Ian was staying there too. Despite not caring about his job very much anymore, there was a nagging sense of guilt that he was betraying his friends by not helping with the case. Might as well stop by and make sure that Lauren's interview was going okay.

Hamilton stepped into the parking lot and looked around the sea of cars, momentarily pausing to admire a bright red Mustang car with tinted windows. The moon and the lights from the parking lot were reflecting off of it and he was suddenly struck with the thought that it looked an awful lot like Lauren's car.

No sooner had the thought flashed through his mind when there was a sudden bang on the window of the car. Hamilton jumped back and whipped out his gun on instinct, pointing it at the door. There was a slight pounding and a curse and then Dan Trent spilled out into the parking lot, his hair disheveled and looking like he had just woken up from a nap.

"Dan!" Hamilton exclaimed in shock. "Where's Lauren?"

Dan's face was pale from worry, eyes slightly wild. "Lauren's Amy, Hamilton. She's my sister. And she's the assassin! Amy is Doll! Something tells me that Ian's in trouble!"

Hamilton's eyes widened and he said, "You're nuts."

"I swear to God that it's true," Dan panted, pulling Hamilton towards the road. A yellow taxi cab was meandering down the road.

Dan hailed the taxi and said, "Have you seen a girl about my height with auburn hair, probably with a good-looking dark-skinned guy?"

"Funny," scoffed the taxi driver, raising an eyebrow. "I just dropped them off."

"Where!?" Dan exclaimed desperately. "I really need to know!"

Hamilton turned wide eyes at the guy who shrugged shiftily and said, "It's confidential information. For all I know you two could be out to murder them."

_More like the opposite around, _Hamilton thought to himself dryly, not amused in the least.

Dan dug a wad of cash out of his jeans pocket and tossed it to the man. "Just take us there!" he demanded, hopping into the backseat.

Hamilton followed without a second thought. _God, I hope for all of our sake's that he's wrong._

The man smirked and said, "Bribery. Now that's a language I speak. Traffic now, you'll be there in ten minutes."

They went to pull back into the street and nearly collided with a pair of pedestrians running across the cross walk. The men turned towards the taxi and flipped it off identically. Dan's eyes bugged out and Hamilton gasped.

**~lovelovelove~**

Dan stared, dumbstruck, as Ned and Ted Starling flipped off the cab, gazes brimming with irritation.

"Wait a second!" he screamed to the driver, throwing open the door.

Ned and Ted shared identical expressions of nearly comical shock as they saw their coworker standing there. "Dan!" exclaimed Ned.

Dan nodded and said, "Get in the cab. We're going to go save our boss's life."

As Ted opened his mouth to say something, Dan felt a stab of annoyance. "Just stop talking for once?"

Ted shut up.

**~lovelovelove~**

Ted Starling was buzzing with anticipation, tapping his fingers along nervously as he sat crammed in the back seat of a taxi cab.

His thoughts were running wild but the only one that stood out enough for him to comprehend: _Ian's fallen in love with a murderer, and we're going to save him. This is crazy._

**~lovelovelove~**

Amy felt Ian's gaze pinned to her as he waited for a response. In a second, all the years of killing and hurting and being an assassin caught up with her, thoughts crashing down like a tidal wave. She remember one night in particular after her first kill when she had been speaking with Vikram.

_"That was terrifying," Amy had panted, sitting in Vikram's living room with a cup of coffee. "I thought that the police were going to burst in with their guns and take me away."_

_Vikram had smiled knowingly. "I would have bailed you out, my panther."_

_"I know," Amy had said truthfully. "Is killing always like that? Feeling as though you're doing something incredibly wrong in a way that feels completely right?"  
_

_With a heavy pause, Vikram had let the question weigh in her mind for a moment before responding, "It's different for everyone, I suppose."_

_Amy had nodded and whispered, '"All I was thinking about was how disappointed Dan would have been of me. Living with Dan was like having a son, I had to constantly look over him and protect him."_

_Vikram had smirked. "I had a son once, a very long time ago. He's about you age."_

_Amy had quirked an eyebrow in confusion. "You did have a son?"_

_Her boss had simply nodded and replied, "Yes. But that's in the past. Now I have a daughter."_

Amy felt her blood go cold at the memory and said, "I - I need to know what you did to Vikram."

Ian stared, shocked. His amber eyes were hurt, pure emotion brimming inside of them. He opened his mouth to respond, shivering slightly.

**~lovelovelove~**

"I - I need to know what you did to Vikram," Amy said seriously, her words quiet.

Ian was shocked. _How did she know? _The only logical answer was that Amy knew that Vikram was furious with Ian. Doll was Amy. His mind flashed back to five years ago, the last time he had talked to his father, after years of ignoring him and pretending he didn't exist.

_The dark living room, made up of maroon curtains, dark wood walls and floors, and dramatic patterns on the furniture, held an imposing feeling to it. Light filtered dimly through the curtain where the moonlight shone through only slightly. The air was chilled, sending shivers up and down Ian's spine. His child-hood home suddenly seemed incredibly unfriendly._

_Ian hadn't been here in years since it was under his father's name, and the two hadn't spoke since Ian was seventeen and old enough to ditch his house with the help of a few friends._

_But now Vikram stared at Ian, his hard, cold eyes level with his. "Ian. Tell me where Natalie is. Right now."_

_Ian felt his heart pounding sporadically as he spat, "Never. She's better off than she was when she lived with you, you monster."_

_A disgustingly calm look came over Vikram's face and he responded, "I highly doubt that. We were having oh-so-much fun."_

_Before he knew what he was doing, Ian had whipped his hand out, and backhanded Vikram across the face. "You bastard! You abused her for years! Years, you disgustingly vile freak!"_

_Vikram grabbed Ian's wrist and twisted it back effortlessly, leaving Ian struggling in his grasp. "Let - go!" Ian growled, trying to kick Vikram between the legs._

_His father merely took a step forward, bringing Ian's arm over his shoulder, and then grabbed the other one and did the same. Then he kicked Ian's behind the knees, chuckling. Ian fell to the floor on his knees, feeling his arms flex as they ached from his father's grip._

_Vikram felt Ian relax in defeat, slumping forward and letting him hold him up by his arms, which had been twisted behind his head. As his father's grip began to loosen, Ian pulled out of his position and turned around, punching Vikram directly in the jaw._

_He heard something crack as his father fell towards the table in the center of the room. Ian's eyes widened, horrified, as Vikram fell to the table and hit his head on the corner. There was a terribly loud cracking noise, like something had completely broken, and then Vikram was slumped on the floor, unmoving._

_Ian's heart-rate was still electrifyingly fast from what had just happened, and as he knelt before his fallen father. With shuddering hands, he pressed his fingers to the side of his neck, checking for a pulse. _

_There was none that he could feel._

_Immediately, Ian was panicked, scrambling up and dry heaving into a waste basket. He had killed his father. A horribly disgusting man, but his father nonetheless. Sure, Ian had shot down murderers and psychopaths during his job, but this was new. This was just cold-blooded killing. _

_Ian tried telling himself that it was self-defense, but he was on Vikram's land and no one would ever believe that he had attacked Ian. With one more panicked glance at Vikram, Ian fled the scene._

"I - I thought I killed my father," Ian confessed to Amy, reliving the memory. "Why do you need to know?"

"I just had to," Amy said, close to tears. "But you should know he never died. I was visiting later that evening and found him there, unconscious but alive."

Ian might have felt relieved to know he wasn't a murderer at one point, but now he was beginning to wish that Vikram Kabra had been removed from the face of the earth years ago.

Tears were beginning to leak out of her eyes as she said, "I just had to know before I do this."

Before Ian knew what was going on, Amy had pulled out a gun and held it out to Ian. Ian's mind went blank. He was staring at his girlfriend who was holding him at gunpoint.

"Are you going to take it?" She finally asked impatiently after a few seconds of holding it out to him.

Relieved and a bit embarrassed, Ian grabbed the weapon to find that it was his gun. She must have taken it from him while they were in the cab.

"Okay," Amy said, standing up and looking around. "We have to be quiet, but you have to do everything I tell you, no matter how absurd it may be. This is a matter of life and death."

"Whose life and whose death?" Ian asked, confused. He thought that he was the one who was about to be murdered.

Amy looked at him seriously. "Both of our lives, and both of our deaths. Vikram is going to come after us. He knows that I've fallen in love with you and that you might have with me. And we need to run, because if it comes down to it, we will not stand a chance against him."

Ian didn't know how to respond. Amy had just confessed that she loved him all while telling him that his father was going to come and try to murder them both. It was quite mind-blowing and impossibly hard to wrap his head around it.

As the pair began to make their way through the cemetary's rows upon rows of headstones, there was a the sudden, explosive crack of a bullet being fired.

**I found a way to get this story to be longer! :D As seen in the above chapter, I ended up showing the POVs of nearly all the characters around the same time period. All of the stuff with Amy and Ian happens a few minutes after the guys from Ian's team get into the cab. **

**I hope you guys liked it! I'm terribly sad to admit that the next chapter will be the last one. There's gonna be a ton of action, a ton of confusion, and a bunch of you are probably gonna flip. XD Can I ask for some real feedback on this one? I loathe flashbacks, but they were necessary here. **

**And before I go... YOU GUYS ARE SO FRICKN AWESOME WORDS COULD NOT EVEN EXPLAIN HOW PROUD AND HAPPY I WAS WHEN I SAW THE NUMBER OF REVIEWS I GOT FOR THE LAST CHAPTER. I LOVE YOU ALL SO FRICKN MUCH! :D :D :D :D :D **

**~Dani **


	7. Chapter 7

**I Never Told You What I Do For a Living**

**Chapter Seven**

There are moments in every person's life where their heart skips a beat and sends their thoughts skidding into a crash of epic proportions. All they hear is the rushing of the blood in their ears and the erratic pounding of their heart as it threatens to leap into their throat. Hands shake and their body quivers in shock as they see what's going on in front of them, though they don't take it in.

A breath hitches in their throat, like a hiccup, sending reoccurring shock waves down their arms as their catastrophically confused mind tries to comprehend the horror, the excitement, or maybe the anticipation of what just happened.

And then, in one split second, everything comes crashing down in a crescendo of pure emotions that sends them reeling internally.

Amy had never experienced this feeling so fully as when the gun was shot.

As if in a time warp, everything seemed to floor as she stared, wide-eyed, the blast echoing off the tombstones and the bushes and the trees. Ian launched himself towards her and she simply watched, unable to understand. The bullet hit the tombstone in front of her with the force of what felt like a nuclear bomb to her warped senses.

Then everything fell into perspective.

Sounds rushed into her ears as Ian shouted, "Come on, love!"

The sounds of footsteps and heavy breathing focused her solely on the feeling of her feet hitting the ground as she ran, tugging Ian's hand along behind her. Arms moving with the beat of her steps, she ran wildly, not looking back to see who had shot the bullet.

It was as if she didn't already know anyway.

**~lovelovelove~**

Vikram Kabra watched from behind the solid black, marble tombstone as his prey dashed through the cemetary, tripping over themselves to get away from him. His pistol rested firmly in the palm of his left hand, finger on the trigger. It shifted slightly, as he stood calmly, though there was a murderous gleam in his eye.

Amy Trent and Ian Kabra both had to die.

Really, it was terribly inconvenient for everyone. Amy didn't have to die, and the only person who would have missed Ian would have been his coworkers, if they were even close friends. All she would have had to do was kill him the night she met him, and they wouldn't be in this mess.

Vikram hated Ian, his oldest child, with a burning passion. He had taken away his sister from Vikram, thereby removing any and all entertainment, and had nearly killed him five years ago. Ian was a stuck up, son of a bitch who was as foul as his mother. Honestly, Vikram was fairly certain that whatever put them on this planet had slipped up when dropping Ian on it.

Heart pumping steadily as he sprinted, footsteps long and even, Vikram thought. He was about to kill the only two children he had left. After a moment's hesitation, he realized that he didn't really care. Deep inside his head he heard a voice that sounded suspiciously like his bitch ex-wife saying, "You're going to hell, bastard."

Strangely, Vikram found that he didn't care. Surely hell would be more welcoming than earth, where all that greeted him in the morning was an empty house and a myriad of people who hated his guts.

Amy had been a fun experiment while she lasted, Vikram mused, jumping lightly over a root. She was as stupid as he father, playing right into his trap. Although Vikram didn't have the taste for killing that his family's assassins did, he didn't mind putting an end to her ditzy little life, so long as he didn't have to hear her whining anymore.

It was quite pathetic, really, that she was going to die at such a young age. A pretty face like hers really could have been put to better use if he had thought of it earlier.

With a sigh, Vikram came to a halt and raised the barrel of the gun towards them.

Who would be first?

**~lovelovelove~**

Ian was thoroughly panicked, completely and utterly terrified. His psychotic father was after them with a gun and would stop at nothing to make sure that they were dead by the next flight to England.

His breathing burning his throat, Ian tried to keep up with Amy who was flying through the cemetary on invisible wings, feet barely hitting the ground. As he took a ravaged gulp of air, Ian was shaken to the very core by another crack of a gun.

The bullet whizzed by his head, missing him by mere centimeters, and he tripped. Collapsing face first onto the dirty ground, Ian sprawled out, receiving a mouth full of dirt and grass.

"Ian!" came Amy's strangled shriek as she grabbed the gun from him and shot it towards Vikram, a deafening crack exploding into the air.

Her pretty face was glistening with sweat as she tugged Ian from the ground and yanked him forward. "Don't stop! We have to get to the police or somewhere public!"

"I didnt' stop on purpose," he exclaimed as they kept running.

"Ian, if this doesn't work, I need you to know that I'm pretty sure I love you," Amy panted, not making eye contact with them as they sprinted towards the street.

Ian's heart let out a stuttered rhythm of beats as he gasped, "I love you too - "

_"BANG!"_

_"IAAAAN!" _Amy screamed.

Ian's words were cut off as a piercing pain raged through his body, starting in his head, lighting him on fire from the inside out. His body was burning up, crisp, acid-like cold air blowing over and into him. He felt nothing except for the unmeasurable agony as he collapsed to the ground again, hands skidding into the rocky pavement and burying themselves in his palm.

Blackness swam around him as he whimpered in pain, unable to speak. There was another crack and another ravaged scream.

"_I'm sorry, Ian!" _screamed a girl, someone's whose voice he couldn't quite place. It was choked with sobs and unspeakable horror.

He turned his head as the black fog ebbed into his vision. Ian stared up at the stars and let out a final sigh of breath as a storm of pain overtook him, rising into a peak of absolute peace that cushioned him into the fall.

As he felt the last shreds of life leaving his body, Ian sank into the cold ground, seeing nothing but a pair of sparkling green eyes.

**~lovelovelove~**

Dan was the first out of the cab and the first to hear a gunshot. He tore out of Ned's grasp and sprinted to the gates, ramming into them with his shoulder and screaming, "AMY! IAN!"

What he saw made his blood run cold.

A tall, dark figure collapsed to the ground as a shorter, feminine figure shook with despair and screamed, "IAN!"

Dan heard another crack of a gun being fired and Amy yelling with uncontrolled sobs, "I'm sorry, Ian!" before turning around and running towards the gate.

Body shaking, Dan watched, in complete shock as Amy's eyes met with his. Tears streamed down her face, blotchy and red, as her mouth opened in an "o" of surprise.

"Dan?" she seemed to exclaim.

Dan reached out to her and then -

_"BANG!"_

**~lovelovelove~**

Amy jerked herself away from Ian's fallen body as he whimpered, blood pooling around the his head. She screamed in horror, sobs crashing out of her mouth and into the air. Trembling in shock, she turned and ran towards the gate, hearing the sadistic laughter of Vikram behind her.

As she ran closer, she was met with the familiar and gentle gaze of her brother Dan, whose eyes were wild with fear. He reached his arm out for her as her mouth opened in surprise.

Her brother was here, he would save her. She was sure of it, she thought, tears still pouring out of her eyes. In that second, her brother was joined by Ted, Ned, and Hamilton, all of whom were yelling.

Suddenly, a cold feeling of foreboding filled her from her toes to the top of her head, filling her with icy despair. As she reached out for her brother, there was the sudden explosion of a bullet being fired from a gun.

Pain exploded in her head, a shocking stab of pure agony spreading out like a spider web. For a moment, all she could feel was red-hot fire echoing from the bullet to the very edges of her mind and sanity. Her soul was being torn from the edges, being ripped from her heart, the glowing sinews of it being shredded into nothingness.

The fire reached her head where she was suddenly unaware of everything around her, save for the cool ground. Amy rolled onto her side and stared into the tortured eyes of her brother as he screamed unintelligible things. He tore the gun from the holster on his hip and pointed it at someone behind her.

There was the crack of the bullet leaving the barrel, a shriek of impact, and then utter silence. Amy sighed, choking in agony, pain exuding from her red-hot heart and bleeding into every vein. She was on fire, she was fire, she was being tossed into the very pits of hell, she was -

She gasped, the last breath to leave her body, and stared into the blue eyes of her brother. And then, there was nothing except pure clarity.

As she slipped away, she thought she felt her brother's arms around her and the warm wetness of a tear on her cheek dropped from the sky.

_"And never again, and never again. They gave us two shots to the back of our head and we're all dead now." _

**I really hope you don't hate me. **

**To be honest, all I wanted to do while writing this was bring to life one of my favorite songs. There was no deeper meaning, no secret codes or clues, nope. I simply wanted to bring to life an amazing story, no matter what the end result. **

**I hope you all enjoyed it! I had the best time writing this story, it was absolutely amazing. You guys are the most AMAZING readers for keeping with this craziness. **

**And who knows... maybe if I get a sufficient amount of positive reviews, I'll write a sequal? Ah, I bet I have your interest peaked now. ;) What's this author got in mind for two people who are...well...dead? **

**Lots of love,**

**Dani :)**


	8. Lyrics

_Lyrics to I Never Told You What I Do For a Living _

_By My Chemical Romance_

_This story was inspired by this song, so I thought that you all might be interested in seeing where it came from. ;)_

**Stay out of the light**  
**Or the photograph that I gave you**  
**You can say a prayer if you need to**  
**Or just get in line and I'll grieve you**  
**Can I meet you, alone**  
**Another night and I'll see you**  
**Another night and I'll be you**  
**Some other way to continue**  
**To hide my face**

**Another knife in my hands**  
**A stain that never comes off the sheets**  
**Clean me off**  
**I'm so dirty babe**  
**The kind of dirty where the water never cleans off the clothes**  
**I keep a book of the names and those**

**Only go so far 'til you bury them**  
**So deep and down we go**

**Touched by angels, though I fall out of grace**  
**I did it all so maybe I'd live this every day**

**Another knife in my hands**  
**A stain that never comes off the sheets**  
**Clean me off**  
**I'm so dirty babe**  
**It ain't the money and it sure as hell ain't just for the fame**  
**It's for the bodies I claim and lose**

**Only go so far 'til you bury them**  
**So deep and down we go**

**Down**

**And down we go**  
**And down we go**  
**And down we go**  
**And we all fall down**

**I tried**  
**I tried**

**And we'll all dance alone to the tune of your death**  
**We'll love again, we'll laugh again**  
**And it's better off this way**

**And never again, and never again**  
**They gave us two shots to the back of the head**  
**And we're all dead now.**

**Well never again, and never again**  
**They gave us two shots to the back of the head**  
**And we're all dead now.**

**Well I tried**  
**One more night**  
**One more night**  
**Well I'm laughin' out, cryin' out, laughin' out loud**  
**I tried, well I tried, well I tried,**  
**'Cause I tried, but I lied**  
**I lied**

**I tried**  
**I tried**  
**I tried, well**

**And we'll love again, we'll laugh again**  
**We'll cry again and we'll dance again**  
**And it's better off this way**  
**So much better off this way**  
**I can't clean the blood off the sheets in my bed**

**And never again, and never again**  
**They gave us two shots to the back of the head**  
**And we're all dead now**

_I do not own My Chemical Romance or this song, which is the property of that insanely epic band._

_Thanks! :D_

_Dani _


End file.
